Taiping Dao at the end of the Han Dynasty

Chapter 66 The Li Clan is Exterminated, and Two Hundred Thousand Bushels of Grain are Acquired!
News from the Duan family arrived half a month after the last ambush during the Awakening of Insects. It was precisely the time of the Spring Equinox. Dong Zhongshu's *Chunqiu Fanlu* states, "In the second month of spring, the sun is due east and the yin is due west; this is called the Spring Equinox. The Spring Equinox signifies the balance of yin and yang, hence day and night are equal and the temperature is moderate." In Taoism, the Spring Equinox is considered the most balanced time, a time of harmony between yin and yang, and the best day for astronomical observation and calendar correction.

The Spring Equinox has three phases: the first is the arrival of the swallows; the second is the sound of thunder; and the third is the first flashes of lightning. The swallows are birds that fly in during the Spring Equinox. Therefore, upon seeing Wang Du and Peng Gui, who arrived with joyful expressions, travel-worn and excited, Zhang Chengfu stood at the entrance of the ancestral temple and greeted them with a smile.

"The spring equinox arrives, bringing peace and prosperity to heaven and earth. The swallows carry mud, heralding the blessings of the new year. Your arrival from afar coincides with gentle breezes and fine rain, a time of flourishing growth for all grains—a truly auspicious occasion. Judging from your expression, this news must be a sign of divine favor!"

"Haha! Congratulations, my lord! May the New Year bring you good fortune and all things go smoothly!"

Upon hearing this, Wang Du laughed heartily, his face beaming with joy as he donned the formal attire of a scholar symbolizing his status. Meanwhile, Ōnozawa Hōki, standing beside him, also changed into a bright and cheerful outfit and exclaimed happily.

"Excellent! You speak so well, my lord! This time, with just one net, we caught a great many fish—a truly bountiful harvest!"

"Excellent! You've been gone for half a month, what's the situation with the Duan family?"

"My lord! We first took the heads of Li Qian, the patriarch of the Li clan, and Li Zheng, the young master of the Li clan, along with several carriages of valuables, to the Duan clan's door to plead for their lives. The Duan clan was originally arrogant, but when they saw the money they had spent to buy their way out of trouble, they were overjoyed and sent a clan steward to deal with the matter. When they saw the heads of the direct descendants of the Li clan, they were all delighted, and the three clan elders summoned them together to inquire about what had happened!"

"So what did you say?"

As he spoke, Wang Du smiled and looked at Peng Gui, gesturing for him to speak. Peng Gui scratched his head and replied.

"I was simply following my lord's instructions, saying that I had heard of the Duan family's reputation and was willing to serve them valiantly, to eliminate the wicked Li family, and many other vicious clans. Oh! And the Duan family is blessed by the heavens, possessing great virtue, but they face a calamity that needs to be averted. We met a wandering Taoist priest in the Great Wilderness Marsh who gave us guidance, and we learned of the Li family's evil deeds, so we decided to join them. We are willing to be the Duan family's weapon, and we will surely wipe out the Li family!"

"Anyway, I talked about it in such a mysterious way, and those old guys from the Duan family were very happy! They didn't seem to care much about Li's life or death, but instead kept asking me who the wandering Taoist was, and whether he had left his name and ancestral temple. So I made up a half-blind Taoist named 'Zuo Ci' according to what my husband said. The Duan family elders seemed quite shocked, and having heard of him, they became much more friendly towards me."

"After asking these mysterious questions and taking the heads of the two Li family members, the elders left, seemingly to continue their 'astrologering and divination.' Then, the steward who had previously received them reappeared and discussed with the King the specific details of annihilating the Li family, which commanders from various prefectures and kingdoms would participate, the magistrate of Chengwu County would also be involved, and the distribution of money and supplies afterward. In any case, the Duan family didn't want the distant lands; they wanted them all converted into money, only the floating wealth. The Duan family wanted 70% of all the floating wealth! The remaining 30%, including the Li family's lands, was for us remaining members to divide among ourselves! The Duan family didn't have to do anything and just got 70% for free!"

At this point, Peng Kui clicked his tongue and added.

"As for the position of County Commandant of Chengwu County after the Li clan was wiped out, it seemed to be a trivial matter to the Duan family. The elders didn't even bother to intervene, and the steward easily approved it for me. He wrote me a plaque and said generously that before the prefectural government's appointment came through, I could go to Chengwu County to take up my post directly with the Duan family's plaque! He also issued the same plaque to Wang Jun, which was engraved with the title of Magistrate of Dong'e. He also had Wang Jun pass on a message, telling the previous Magistrate of Dong'e County to retire early and get out of there! He also said that the Duan family was magnanimous and that as long as he retired, they would not hold his double-dealing when he arrested the Cheng family against him, and would spare the lives of his entire family."

"Huh? This is a forged seal?"

Zhang Chengfu was somewhat surprised. According to the imperial law, this was a capital offense punishable by death and the extermination of the entire clan; it was a crime weighing a ton. Even if the Duan family had the emperor's authorization to sell official positions, they shouldn't be so audacious and openly arrogant, right? But Wang Du shook his head and chuckled.

"Not so! My lord, although the Duan family is domineering, they won't openly violate the laws of the court. They have to be mindful of the accusations and criticisms from the powerful families. This is a plaque for a retainer of the Duan family, indicating a purchased official position, which has nothing to do with the official seal of the court. But as long as you take this plaque to the prefectures and kingdoms, which minor official below the rank of 1,000 shi would dare to disobey it? Even the prefects of the various prefectures with a rank of 2,000 shi would mostly pretend to be deaf and dumb when they see this plaque from a powerful family, and a few might even flatter them!"

"Take Peng Jun's position as the County Commandant of Chengwu, for example. The salary is 200 shi (a unit of grain), which can be approved by the prefectural government, and the official seal will be delivered within ten days. But my position as the Magistrate of Dong'e is 600 shi, which requires a formality through the central government in Luoyang. However, for such minor positions, it's just a matter of the Ten Attendants stamping the document. It's said that once the emperor receives the money, he won't even glance at it."

Upon hearing about the state of the court, Zhang Chengfu was speechless for a moment. After a while, he shook his head and asked again.

"Have you taken down the Li family's county magistrate in Dong'e County? We need to replace him with one of our own."

"Reporting to my lord! The county magistrate of Li has been apprehended. The magistrate of Dong'e claimed illness and didn't even conduct a trial, leaving me to handle the matter. I questioned Duan and convicted him of the ironclad crime of illegally possessing weapons and armor, intending to rebel. In any case, he's not innocent. This charge will certainly result in beheading, and the sooner the better, along with the other members of the Li clan in Chengwu County who have already been apprehended! As for the vacant county magistrate position, thanks to my lord, it has been given to Sang Ping, and the official seal has already been delivered."

At this point, Wang Du gave Zhang Chengfu a careful look. With this promotion, although Sang Ping and Wang Du remained nominally superior and subordinate, their actual close relationship had shifted to Zhang Chengfu. In other words, Sang Ping had gone from being a trusted subordinate to Zhang Chengfu's confidant through a single recommendation.

This arrangement subtly hinted at a delicate balance of power, but judging from the young master's behavior, he didn't seem to harbor any suspicion towards Wang Du. Yet, it's hard to imagine that such a skillful personnel arrangement, this natural mastery of power, could have come from the hands of a boy from a farming family!
"Very good! Dong'e County and Chengwu County are both key to the uprising, and we have already placed our people in important positions there. Next, you should focus on controlling the constables in the counties, and it would be best to turn them all into your own people. Also, try to obtain as much armor, long weapons, and crossbows as possible!"

Zhang Chengfu nodded in satisfaction and once again emphasized the importance of armed forces. Then, he looked at Wang Du and asked solemnly.

"How is the Li family doing? Has it developed as expected?"

"My lord, in the battle by the river, all the direct descendants of the Li clan perished; not a single one returned alive. We secretly relayed the news and also spread the word that the Duan clan was acting on behalf of the court to demand justice. The Li clan was terrified and scattered rapidly! Within ten days, many of the hundreds of Li clan's retainers fled, all believing that the Li clan could not survive. Although there are still some stubborn elders of the direct descendants who want to stand up and lead the people in a last-ditch resistance, in this situation of utter chaos, no one can stand up to unite the clan. Instead, several collateral branches have jumped out to seize power within the large clan, demanding that the elders of the direct descendants be sent to the Duan clan to apologize."

"The Li family was thrown into chaos, some fleeing, some fighting amongst themselves, and they couldn't come up with a unified plan for over ten days. Meanwhile, Li Qian and his direct descendants were swiftly and decisively wiped out by the Duan family, and the political climate in the county completely shifted! The magistrate of Chengwu County immediately deployed men to guard the Li family's estates and valuables. Then, three hundred soldiers from Jiyin County arrived in Chengwu, including Dong Yang, the Earl of Dongdu, who had clearly become a confidant of the Duan family!"

As he spoke, a faint, familiar smile appeared on Wang Du's weathered middle-aged face as he calmly remarked, "Local tyrants and powerful clans are ultimately different! One is rooted in the local area, but is dead. The other is like a bird in flight, alive. The former may seem to have many members and be prosperous, but in reality, they can be wiped out in a day and never rise again! The latter, however, as long as one outstanding direct descendant or even a illegitimate descendant is alive, there will always be gentry willing to support them, and there will always be a possibility of revival! There is ultimately a world between the gentry and the local tyrants; only when chaos reigns and war breaks out can the latter find a place to use their talents!"

"The Li family never made a decision, and we didn't give them time. Before the troops from the prefecture and state suddenly came to destroy their home, only a small number of the Li family's direct descendants, young and old, hurriedly fled with their families after we secretly tipped them off! These dozens of people were mainly the bloodlines of Li Qian's direct brothers, several of them being children as young as a few years old. We also secretly guided them to their destinations, some fleeing to the Zhang family of Dongping, and others to the Man family and Liu family of Shanyang. Well, the majority went to Shanyang Prefecture, after all, it's closer to Chengshi County, and they still have direct descendants who studied in the Man family."

“That’s excellent! I swore an oath before Li Qian that I would spare the direct descendants of his clan! My feud with him is a public one, not a personal one. It’s good to let go of the old, weak, women and children, so that the Li family can continue its lineage.”

"Yes, my lord is merciful! However, whether the Man family of Shanyang dares to take them in, even at the risk of their lives, remains to be seen! Perhaps, if my lord can personally orchestrate the plan, annihilating the Man family in one fell swoop will be the inevitable outcome!"

Hearing Wang Du's respectful compliment, Zhang Chengfu's lips curled up, but he still shook his head and replied.

"The Man family of Shanyang is, after all, a noble family, and they must consider the reputation and image of the noble class. They may not protect them for long, but at least they will provide a clear path for the Li family to continue their escape. As for Shanyang County, it is the seat of Yanzhou, and both the prefect and the governor are watching it. There are quite a few powerful families in this county, especially in the eastern part near Lu State. It is inconvenient for our Taiping Dao to take action there, lest we attract the attention of the Yanzhou nobles and completely expose ourselves."

"Whether or not to take action against the Man family of Shanyang depends on the Duan family's own actions! The Duan family can easily destroy the Man family, but without our help, they won't wipe out the entire direct line of the Man family like they did with the Cheng family. Most of the Man family's direct line will inevitably escape, and the Duan family will incur even more blood feuds with the aristocratic families, leaving behind more future troubles, and then they will have no choice but to wield their swords again. As for our actions, at most we will spread some rumors and secretly fan the flames! The fire of this brutal struggle between the eunuchs and aristocratic families of Yanzhou has now officially been ignited. We can light this fire, but how big it will ultimately burn is beyond our control!"

After recounting these predictions about the overall situation, Zhang Chengfu's eyes showed some anticipation as he looked at Wang Du and Peng Gui and asked them solemnly.

"Wang Jun, Peng Xiong, what did you find when you went with the troops of the prefecture and state to search and confiscate the Li family's property? This large Li family has 16,000 mu of land, more than 200,000 hu of stored grain, and those privately hoarded weapons and armor. How much did we get?"

"Haha! Heaven bears witness! My lord, two hundred thousand bushels of grain have already entered the coffers of the Way of Peace! Those thirty suits of iron armor, seventy crossbows, and over a hundred privately made iron spearheads have also fallen into the hands of the Great Wilderness!"

Wang Du laughed heartily once again, and Onozawa Peng Gui nodded excitedly, laughing repeatedly.

"Exactly! Exactly! The grain is piled up like mountains, and even iron armor and crossbows are things you simply can't buy! This massive, devastating deal, sir, is ten or a hundred times better than the small-scale scrambles we at Dayeze have made before! We've taken eight thousand mu of the Li family's land, especially the good land they privately cultivated on the edge of the marsh! Some local gentry and wealthy families tried to seize it, but as soon as our thousand-strong brotherhood from Dayeze showed up, along with the Duan family's reputation and the position of County Magistrate of Chengwu, those gentry and wealthy families bowed their heads and turned to divide the other eight thousand mu."

"Not to mention, along with these fields, thousands of Li family tenants have also joined us. Even among the fleeing farmhands, more than a hundred have come to seek refuge with us in Dayeze! These people are indeed skilled fighters trained by the Li family; their martial arts and formations are quite impressive!"

"Haha! Absolutely fantastic!"

Hearing about these gains, Zhang Chengfu finally breathed a long sigh of relief and laughed heartily. That's how the world works: either the Li family swallows up the refugees and the area around Dayeze, taking advantage of the chaos to become a top-tier powerful clan; or the Li family is swallowed up by the Taiping Dao, their money, grain, land, and servants becoming resources for the Taiping Dao, helping it grow even stronger in Yanzhou!
"Truly, Heaven has blessed us! Two hundred thousand bushels of grain—this is truly a life-saving reserve! With this grain, even if there is a severe drought this year, we can still provide disaster relief and help hundreds of thousands of believers get through the most difficult time!"

"Let's go! We'll go see the Great Teacher and the Heavenly Physician! They've been waiting for this good news for a long time!"

"Yes! I will obey you, my lord! By the way, this time when I went north, the Duan family only knew that I was going to Dayeze, but instead took the initiative to send me to Dongpinglu to find the Great Teacher of Virtue."

"Hmm? The Duan family sent you to find a teacher?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chengfu was startled and asked in surprise.

"Why are you here?"

"It's a gift! A very generous gift!"

Wang Du pointed to a small wooden box on the ground, its shape looking very familiar. He knew what was inside and sighed.

"The Duan family sent a generous gift to express their gratitude to the Great Teacher for secretly intervening and saving their clan from this calamity!"

"?!"

Zhang Chengfu stood there, lost in thought.

(End of this chapter)